Right Support, Right Time: Unlocking the Power of OT
Launched during OT Week 2025, Right Support, Right Time: Unlocking the Power of OT is a new campaign from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
Occupational therapy transforms lives – especially when people get the right support at the right time. This campaign highlights the benefits of occupational therapy in prevention, early intervention and community-based care – helping people stay well, avoid crises and live the lives they want to lead.
- Occupational therapy helps people stay well and avoid crises – especially when occupational therapists are involved early and in the right way.
- Occupational therapists reduce hospital admissions, support recovery and cut the need for long-term care, saving money across services.
- They reduce health inequalities and promote sustainable, cost-effective care.
- Occupational therapy must be embedded in communities: in GP practices, schools, housing and workplaces.
- Occupational therapy must be central to the future of health, education and social care, supporting UK-wide plans to shift care into communities and take a more preventive approach.
Occupational therapists help people do the things they need and want to do – but too often, they’re brought in too late. We’re calling for a shift in how and when people access occupational therapy. Embedding OT earlier in communities helps people stay well, reduces pressure on services and builds a sustainable, preventative health and care system.”
Karin Orman, RCOT’s Director of Practice and Innovation
How occupational therapy supports national priorities
Every UK nation is committed to prevention and moving care closer to home. Here’s how occupational therapy is helping make that happen:
Helping children thrive through early support
Occupational therapists noticed neurodivergent children struggling to eat in a noisy school dining room. Working with staff, they made small sensory changes, like adding a tablecloth to reduce noise. More children now eat with friends and stay focused in lessons. Early OT support prevented difficulties and helped children thrive in their school day.
Keeping people in work through early support
In Lothian, occupational therapists support employees with complex health needs, including those in small and medium enterprises. Using job-task analysis and fatigue management, they help people meet job demands without worsening their health. Over 90% of absent employees returned to work, and all those still working stayed in post.
Where occupational therapists make an impact
Occupational therapists work across a wide range of settings, from schools and hospitals to GP surgeries and workplaces, helping people earlier and making a lasting impact every day.
Avoiding admissions with early OT input
At Blackpool Victoria Hospital, occupational therapists joined the triage team to assess patients holistically. By focusing on daily life, cognition and wellbeing, they helped 71% of patients avoid admission. Their early involvement supported safe recovery and reduced pressure on hospital beds, showing how OT can prevent unnecessary stays.
Making mental health support easier to access
In Nottingham West, mental health occupational therapists were introduced into GP surgeries as first-contact clinicians. People could see them directly without a GP referral, giving faster access to care and freeing up GP time. The team offered practical, personalised support through group and one-to-one sessions.
As a GP, I know the impacts that occupational therapists have on patients, not just physically but also on their mental health, their confidence and their emotional wellbeing. When OTs can provide support to people early, they can prevent their conditions from getting worse and prevent people from dropping out of school or the workforce.”
Dr Radha Modgil, an NHS GP, broadcaster and columnist